Material-bunker plant



A118. 13, 1929 J. c. BUCKBEE y 1,724,253

MATERIAL BUNKEH PLANT Filed oct. 17, 1927 Piu' Patented Aug. 13, 1929.

UNITED STATES JOHN C. BUCKBEE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

t MATERIAL-BNKER PLANT.

Application filed October l', 1927. Serial No. 228,591.

`This invention relates to improvements in material bunker plants and more particularly to a new and novel arrangement oi overhead bins or bunkers whereby different mixtures of the contents of theseveral bins can be discharged at one or more loading points.

The object of the invention is to provide a convenient and eilicient means for the handling of materials for retail delivery, such as those used in making of concrete.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide an arrangement of inter-related bins whereby the contents trom a given number ot bins may be delivered in the required amounts into a common receptacle or batching machine and thence discharged by gravity into a waiting vehicle for withdrawal to the place ot use.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings,

in which y i Figure l is a top plan View oit the bin-s.

Figure 2 is a Aview in side elevation showing a typical arrangement of the bins.,

Figure 3 is a view in vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

It isk to be understood at the outset that the arrangement and structural design of the apparatus herein disclosed is only intended to be typical of plants for the handling of material, and therefore I do not desire to at tach undue importance to details of construction since considerable latitude is permissible in this respect.

In general, a plant embodying my invention consists of a plurality of binsI l arranged in two rows parallel with each other and spaced relatively close together. Each row preferably consists of tour bins, making eight in all, although the number may be decreased or increased, it desired, depending on the number ot diii'erent materials to be handled. For instance, the least number of bins would be two, increasing to eight or more, `al-V though in the present arrangement eight the largest number which can be considered as constituting a complete plant.

The bins are of the vertical type, being ot" any suitable construction and shape, alfthough shown as cylindric for convenience. The bins are erected above the level of the ground and on a suitable supporting structure carried on posts or piers 2. rlhe supporting frame may be ot wood, structural steel or steel and concrete, as desired. lIhe piers are arranged in four parallel rows eX- tending longitudinally of the bins, the height of the piers and the distance between the longitudinal rows thereof being such that there is ample width and head room bclow the bins for three parallel driveways, viz., two outer driveways A-A passing beneath each row of bins, and a central or intermediate driveway Bibetween the rows of bins. Manitestly such an arrangement contemplates the loading of trucks or road vehicles, although industrial or narrow gauge tracks may be laid in place of the driveways for the loading of dump cars, or even standard gauge tracks tor cars of the gondola type.

The upper ends of the bins are preferably open and may be tilled by any suitable apparatus available, In small plants a portable hoist may be used for loading the bins from cars on an adjacent side trac-lr, whereas large plants may be equipped,l with permanent hoisting and loading apparatus ot any approved type, with distributing chutes to the `diiierent bins. This, however, is a matter of choice, it being simply assumed that the bins are fiied from time to time, each with a different kind or grade of material.

Considering the bins as grouped in pairs from left to right, there is positioned centrally of the iii-st and second pairs of bins a receptacle or batching machine 3 approximately at the level of the bottom ot the bins. Between the second and third pairs of bins and the third and fourth are similarly located batching machines 3, the same being arranged in a row arranged centrally of the space between the two rows oit bins and above the central driveway I3. These hatching machines have the form of open receptacles having a discharge chute or opening in their bottom wall. Referring again to the batching machine 3, around which `the first and second pairs of bins are grouped, cach of `these bins is provided with a lateral or side delivery chute 1li near its bottoni and inclined downwardly and emptying into said hatching machine. Each chute t has a suitable gate or valve (not shown) with suitable operating mechanism for controlling the discharge of material from each bin. The same arrangement is carried out in the bins grouped about the second and third hatching machines, it being noted that each bin of the second and third pairs, i. e., the inter'- mediate pairs, has chutes l leading to the intermediate or center batching machine as well as to the outer or end hatching machine nearest thereto. In addition to the lateral chutes of the hatching machines, each bin has a discharge chute 5 at its bottom and immediately over the outer driveways A-A, these chutes being alsov gate-controlled.

The operation of a plant of this character will be manifest from the following explanation: Assumling first that each of eight bins contains a different material, it follows that an entirel load may be taken from any one bin by driving a truck or wagonl along the driveway A passing under the proper bin and iilling the truck through the bottom chute 5 as though it were a single loading bin.

But assuming that a mixture of materials -tromtwo, three or four different bins is required, the truck is driven along the central driveway B beneath one of the three hatching machines 5. It the mixture desired requires materials stored in two or more of the first two pairs of ybins (at the right, Figures l and 2) the truck would stop under theiirst or right hand hatching machine and by operating the gates in the chutes leading to said hatching machine from any two or more of these bins, vthe proper amount of material will be delivered into the hatching machine and thence into the truck. The usual practice is to fill the hatching machine repeatedly with the material from the desired bins and then empty the contents into the truck. Similarly, mixtures of materials from two or more of the second and third pairs of binscan be mixed and delivered through the middle hatching machine 3 while the left-hand hatching machine 3 delivers aimixture from any or all of the third and fourth pairs of bins. VThus it will be observed that the contents of any one of the two intermediate pairs. of bins can be mixed together or with the materials from one of the adjacent outermost pairs of bins, andalthough this arrangement does not provide for the mixing of materials from all bins in the series, there is nevertheless ample iiexibility to provide for a large number of different mixtures. As a practical matter, the bins would be loaded in such a manner that only those materials which are ordi- 'narily mixed would be in adjacent bins. For

example, the end pairs of bins would not be filled with materials that would enter the same mixture. A knowledge of mixtures is obviously essential to the proper distribution of the material bins, but this would present no particular difficulty to one skilledin the art.

By the arrangement of inter-related bins and drivewaysherein disclosed as embodying my invention, it is possible to greatly facilitate the handling of materials, and

v promotes economy in its use and accuracy in proportion of different grades or sizes entering into the mixture required for the work at hand. Moreover, it permits of sav-- ings in time required 'for retailing materials, since a number of trucks can be filled simultaneously not only from diilierent bins but from the same bins.

As already stated, I do not wish to confine the invention to any particular design or construction of equipment used, or even to the particular materials handled, inasmuch as the scheme is applicable to the delivering of any loose materials when a mixture ot two or more in given amounts is required.

I claim as my invention:

1. A material bunker plant comprising a plurality of bins elevated above the ground and arranged in parallel rows, a plurality of parallel driveways passing beneath said bins, one under each row and one between said rows, each of said bins having a discharge opening over the driveway extending beneath the same, and a separate discharge to a point of delivery over the driveway between said rows and in common with another of said bins.

2. A material bunker plant comprising a plurality of loading bins elevated above the ground and arranged in parallel rows, a driveway passing beneath each row of bins, and an intermediate driveway between said rows of bins, each of said bins having a discharge opening over the driveway passing therebeneath, and a lateral discharge passage terminating at a common delivery point over said intermediate driveway, and a hatching device at said common point ot delivery.

3. A material bunker plant comprising a, plurality of loading bins arranged in parallel rows, a driveway extending longitudinally beneath the bins in each row, and a central driveway extending between said rows, a plurality of hatching machines spaced apart between said rows oi bins and above said central driveway, said bins being divided into groups, each having one or more lateral discharge chutes adapted to discharge into an adjacent hatching machine.

4f. A material bunker plant comprising a plurality of bins elevated above the ground and arranged in parallel rows, a plurailty of parallel driveways, one passing beneath each row of bins, and a central driveway between said rows, each of said bins being adapted to contain a diiierent material and having a bottom dischargek opening over the driveway extending beneath the same, and a hatching device located above said central driveway and between each successive pair of opposing bins in each row, and lateral chutes extending from each bin to the batching device adjacent thereto.

Signed at Chicago, Ill., this 14th day ot October, 1927.

JOHN C. BUCKBEE. 

